On the Forecheck
Next entry: J. P. Dumont: 2008-9 Forechecker’s Forecast
Previous entry: Kevin Klein: 2008-9 Forechecker’s Forecast
Vern Fiddler: 2008-9 Forechecker’s Forecast
by Forechecker on 08/26/08 at 10:30 PM ET
Comments (0)
Have we ever seen a more fortuitously named athlete for his adopted city than Vern Fiddler of the Nashville Predators? Perhaps Terry Crisp when he coached in Calgary (Flames, Crispy, you get it), but not too many others come to mind.
In 2007-8, Fiddler enjoyed another season of unheralded contributions as Barry Trotz’s utility man; he played everywhere from the top line alongside Jason Arnott down to 4th-line checking duty, with his characteristic hustle bringing him a career-high 79 games played. Especially in a salary-cap era, Fiddler is the type of guy who provides quality depth and reliability. One metric that Lowetide likes to cite often is Even Strength Points per 60 minutes. Check out Fiddler’s 2007-8 performance compared to his teammates:
| Even Strength TOI and Pts per 60 Minutes, 2007-8 | ||||
| NAME | POS | GP | TOI/60 | PTS/60 |
| JEAN-PIERRE DUMONT | RW | 80 | 13.81 | 2.88 |
| ALEXANDER RADULOV | RW | 81 | 12.94 | 2.86 |
| JASON ARNOTT | C | 79 | 13.78 | 2.65 |
| MARTIN ERAT | RW | 76 | 13.44 | 2.41 |
| DAVID LEGWAND | C | 65 | 12.07 | 2.29 |
| VERNON FIDDLER | C | 79 | 10.67 | 1.85 |
| JAN HLAVAC | LW | 80 | 13.24 | 1.81 |
| JORDIN TOOTOO | RW | 63 | 9.72 | 1.76 |
| MARTIN GELINAS | LW | 57 | 11.64 | 1.72 |
| BRANDON BOCHENSKI | RW | 40 | 10.25 | 1.46 |
| SCOTT NICHOL | C | 73 | 10.39 | 1.19 |
| RYAN SUTER | D | 76 | 14.40 | 0.93 |
| RADEK BONK | C | 79 | 12.26 | 0.93 |
| MAREK ZIDLICKY | D | 79 | 15.01 | 0.86 |
| JERRED SMITHSON | C | 81 | 9.22 | 0.80 |
| DARCY HORDICHUK | LW | 45 | 5.14 | 0.78 |
| DAN HAMHUIS | D | 80 | 15.94 | 0.75 |
| GREG DE VRIES | D | 77 | 15.38 | 0.71 |
| JED ORTMEYER | RW | 51 | 9.96 | 0.71 |
| SHEA WEBER | D | 54 | 14.72 | 0.60 |
| VILLE KOISTINEN | D | 48 | 12.58 | 0.60 |
| GREG ZANON | D | 78 | 13.69 | 0.28 |
That’s not bad at all, and if you widen the comparison to all NHL centers with at least 40 GP last season, Vern fits right in between Anze Kopitar and Daniel Briere. Granted, those two are facing top defensive matchups, but that’s pretty good production for a depth forward. By the way, Jason Arnott ranked 10th in this regard, right between Vinny Lecavalier and Mats Sundin. Fiddler’s downfall at even strength was defensively, as he did come out as a -5 considering only even strength play, but again, for a 3rd/4th line player that’s acceptable.
“So then I reached up this high and just started whaling on Chara…”
Photo Courtesy Paul Nicholson
Looking ahead to the 2008-9 NHL Regular Season, Vern will probably continue to fill a variety of roles, although I expect he might be used to add a bit more offensive punch to the Bonk line, and would also seem to be a good fit opposite one of the rookie wingers (Ryan Jones, Patric Hornqvist, Antti Pihlstrom) when they’re not playing with Martin Erat or J.P. Dumont. Fiddler possesses a valuable combination of surprising strength along the boards and basic, heads-up hockey in the offensive end, which can help complement more dynamic players. Early last year he played alongside Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont for a few weeks, but I doubt those opportunities will be as plentiful this fall. The interesting question is whether, since Fiddler tends to play mostly on the wing, he might get pressed for playing time by some of the rookies who are coming up through the ranks.
So, for the official Forechecker’s Forecast…
| Forechecker’s Forecast, 2008-9 NHL Regular Season | ||||||
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | Shots | Sht % |
| Vern Fiddler | 70 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 80 | 10 |
Filed in: Fantasy Hockey, Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
Tags: Vern+Fiddler,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
A pivotal Predators prospect: Colin Wilson
Canadian hockey team on the road to Nashville
Two recreational hockey players die on same night, at same rink
Calgary investor Brett Wilson to buy stake in the Nashville Predators
Preds enjoy a command performance
To buy or not to buy? That is the question…
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.
As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.